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Turkey's Effort to Block Twitter Falters

Users Breach Ban Ahead of Elections

After Turkish authorities banned access to social media site Twitter late Thursday, Turks found ways to circumvent the ban. There are an estimated 10 million Turkish Twitter users, or tweeps, according to surveys. Ayla Albayrak reports.

ISTANBUL—Embattled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemed on Friday to have failed in an attempt to block Twitter Inc. in Turkey, as countless Turks—including his longtime ally, President Abdullah Gul—bypassed the ban to criticize the government, just nine days before local elections.

Twitter use in Turkey spiked despite the telecommunications regulator's steps late Thursday to block access to the microblogging site, with users...